Globalization is changing the way companies structure their operations making more convenient locate the production and the R&D in different places. Each company in the process of cost controlling, has to know which kind of cost factors configuration present each country.

The recently released report on “Relocating your Business”is addressed to international companies, allowing them the capability to compare key statistics from some of the best locations in cost management around the world.

“Competitve Alterntives” has been supplying insight on business costs for specific business locations across the world. The report measures international business costs, analyzing 26 key costs and the combined impact. Sectors presented are digital services, R&D services, corporate services and Manufacturing.

The report identifies the top ten countries with the lowest business costs. These countries are listed in order based on best cost efficiency: Mexico, Canada, Netherlands, Italy, Australia, France, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, and the United States.

The major cost factors analyzed are labor, facility and transportation costs. According to data, Mexico is the first country for low labour cost level, followed by Canada and Italy, which ranks #3. At a European level, the costs advantage in Italy is 10.7% less expensive than US (considered as the baseline); starting from the less expensive (Mexico) Italy is the #4 nation in terms ofcost competitiveness overall.

Moreover, Italy is the first European country in costs reduction among years. The lowest change is addressed to the United Kingdom with a high factors cost stricter in 2014 (94.6%) and a just minor value in 2016 (90.9%).

The Italian figures reflect the combined results of two major cities: Milan and Rome. Milan ranks in the top positions in the “Global cities” ranking, confirming the attractiveness of Lombardy. Thanks also to cost competitiveness, the region is a prosperous marketplace for Italian companies and foreign investors: 23% of Italian GDP, higher than European average and more than some other countries.